AABR Business Bulletin

. Bewildered patriots jumped on Sen. Joe McCarthy’s bandwagon and dragged America backward in a frenzy of cowardice that proved out the ironic title of Sinclair Lewis’ study of homegrown fascism. It can’t happen here. It did!

. McCarthy’s witch hunts inspired a disgusting publication called Red Channels, a compilation of 151 namesin radio and TV designated as Communists or sympathizers by self-appointed watchdogs who publicized a right-wing newsletter, Counterattack. Its staff listed the names of subversives according to its own interpretation of the right to dissent. By this standard, if you were opposed to racial discrimination in the south, you were considered subversive.

. If forcing a student, on account of his race, to sit just outside an all-white class violated the Constitution, how could forcing thousands of students, on account of their race, to sit in buildings separate from all-white schools remain constitutional?

. In South Carolina, Gov. James Byrne vowed to shut down the state’s public schools before integrating them. On cue African-American maids were fired, mothers refused credit at the few stores accepting their money, sharecroppers denied renewed farmland leases, and those who picked cotton could not find one gin. Economic hell was unleashed on black folks of Clarendon County, SC.

. Rep. Darryl Issa, R-CA, asking for “more papers” from AG Eric Holder, reminds me of Gen. Jacob Devers, the deputy allied commander for the Mediterranean who was pissed at Bill Donovan, founder of the OSS and modern American espionage. He was convinced that the OSS had wasted millions of tax dollars in Italy. He demanded a “thorough accounting” of everything Donovan had spent there. He further intended to send his IG to the OSS to examine its ledgers and in the future he wanted Donovan to get his approval for every nickel the OSS spent in Italy.

. Major Gen. Mark Clark thought Devers was “a dope” and Donovan was inclined to agree. Donovan was accountable to the president of the US, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US Congress. Opening his books to any other military outsider with a beef would mean baring complex financial arrangements for covert activities, exposing sensitive operations, revealing the names of undercover agents. No spy organizations could operate under those conditions. Donovan politely but firmly refused to let Devers have a peek at his account. The general soon backed off. (Douglas Waller, Wild Bill Donovan)

. Moton High was a dreadfully typical Virginian high school for black students. The roof leaked, students wore winter coats against the rickety windows and broken heating system, classes were so overcrowded that overflow classes were held in tar-paper shacks.

. GA, SC & MS took steps to privatize their pubic schools, with GA’s Gov. Herman Talmage promising “to map a program to insure continued and permanent segregation.” In Brown II, the Supreme Court ordered that school desegregation should proceed “with all deliberate speed.” Southern officials seized the phrase as a license to desegregate at pace of their own choosing and, accordingly, their integration efforts all but ceased.

. Roger Garvin, GA sheriff denies KKK affiliation after old photos of him surfaced dressed in a Klan robe and hood, taken 25 years ago. He whines and blames his opponent (David Waters) for leaking the photos to damage his character. He would have done the same thing if the tables were turned. It was recently denied by the state to adopt a highway. (AP)

. CAN’T IS NOT AN OPTION by Nikki Haley; South Carolina’s governor stakes out her red-blooded American credentials in a by-the-numbers memoir. Haley, as was reported back when she briefly made the news, was born Randhawa, the child of Punjabi immigrants. Since her father wore a turban and her kin looked different from the other denizens of the Piedmont, she suffered all the expected abuse and racism of the time and place. Apparently she never considered the political leanings of her tormentors in that redder-than-red state, though, because she jumped into GOP politics once she had the self-described epiphany that people listened to her when she talked. Perhaps that affiliation was merely the product of some perceived sense of loyalty, for the sense we get is that Randhawa/Haley has long gone along to get along: “I got a scholarship to go to Clemson to study textile management. Cotton, wool, and silk weren’t really my areas of interest, but I thought, Fine, I’ll do it. I just wanted to go to Clemson.”

. Haley’s approach to politicking is homespun and commonsensical: Ply the audience with Krispy Kremes, win over legislators by doing small favors, profess to love “the people.” On the personal front, she allows that she doesn’t watch TV or read newspapers at home so that her children aren’t exposed to the meanness of politics (so much for education). There’s scarcely a moment that approaches originality in these pages. Every note seems scripted, including her protestations that it’s Washington that keeps her from doing her job: Obama bad, Reagan good, etc. Haley’s prose rises above a monotonous whisper only when she gets on the subject of the Tea Party: “That’s what I love most about the Tea Party. It’s drawing the line on government arrogance and overspending with the taxpayers’ money.”

. Conservative commentator R. Emmett Tyrrell says liberalism is dead. In fact, it’s right in the title of his latest book, “The Death of Liberalism.” Asked if he may be a bit premature in his assessment of liberalism given how well Democrats fared in the 2006 and 2008 elections, Tyrrell said he didn’t think so. ”Those elections in ’06 and ’08 were the death rattle.”

“They allowed the moribund liberals into the federal government with almost plenary power save for the workings of the Supreme Court and the U.S. military. It was a frightening time, though we did still have various state militias. But those elections did allow the moribund liberals to expose their essence and that was the beginning of the end. They accumulated trillions of dollars in debt, higher taxes, and, well, idiotic pursuits like green power and eventually the ultimate folly, Solyndra crony capitalism. The American people shouted out in 2010 and will shout louder in the years to come.”

. Do Not Ask What Good We Do by Robert Draper; The U.S. House of Representatives—a large, often unruly body of men and women elected every other year from 435 distinct microcosms of America—has achieved renown as “the people’s House,” the world’s most democratic institution, and an acute Rorschach of biennial public passions. In the midterm election year 2010, recession-battered Americans expressed their discontent with a simultaneously overreaching and underperforming government by turning the formerly democratically controlled House over to the Republicans. Among the new GOP majority were eighty-seven freshmen, many of them political novices with Tea Party backing who pledged a more open, responsive, andfiscally thrifty House. What the 112th Congress instead achieved was a public standing so low—a ghastly 9 percent approval rating— that, as its longest-serving member, John Dingell, would dryly remark, “I think pedophiles would do better.” What happened?. Draper’s cast of characters spans the full spectrum of political experience and ideologies—from the Democrat Dingell, a congressman since 1955 (though elbowed out of power by the party’s House leader, Nancy Pelosi), to Allen West, a black Republican Tea Party sensation, former Army lieutenant colonel, and political neophyte with a talent for equal opportunity offending. While un-spooling the boisterous, at times tragic, and ultimately infuriating story of the 112th Congress, Draper provides unforgettable portraits of Gabrielle Giffords, the earnest young Arizona congresswoman who was gunned down by a madman at the beginning of the legislative session; Anthony Weiner, the Democrats’ clown prince and self-made media star until the New Yorker self-immolated in a sex scandal; the strong-willed Pelosi and her beleaguered if phlegmatic Republican counterpart, House Speaker John Boehner; the affable majority whip, Kevin McCarthy, tasked with instilling team spirit in the iconoclastic freshmen; and most of all, the previously unknown new members who succeeded in shoving Boehner’s Republican Conference to the far right and thereby bringing the nation, more than once, to the brink of governmental shutdown or economic default.
This book is a timely and masterfully told parable of dysfunction that may well serve as Exhibit A of how Americans lost faith in their democratic institutions.

. When a black is mistreated like TJ Holmes of CNN who was stopped by police for no reason other than he is black and asking him for the deed of sale on his car, people who have never experienced such capricious treatment criticize him for complaining and playing the race card. When a white man finds himself in the same predicament, he hollers tyranny and wants to take our government back.

. He was pulled over one mile from his house in GA by a police car behind him. The police said he pulled him over to make sure he has insurance on the car. Poppycock!

. William E. Miller was Barry Goldwater’s running mate in 1964. He appeared in one of the first American Express commercials “Do you know me?” LBJ won 61.1% of the popular votes, the highest won by a candidate since 1820. No candidate for president has equaled or surpassed LBJ’s percentage margin of the popular votes. He carried 44 of the 50 state and the D.C. Will WMR and PR do better in 2012?

. America’s longest serving inmate (Betty Smithey) was released from the AZ state prison complex after spending 49 years behind bars for the murder of a 15-month child. She had a history of mental illness.

II. Private Sector

. The bulletin will focus on the presidential campaign in the next two months by calling attention on their false advertising (against the opponent) as well as their Super PAC supporters and other supporters by presenting the true facts. At this stage, the Romney campaign and its Super PACs are saturated with lies and disregard for the truth. If he can lie, he can cheat. If he can cheat, he can surely steal the election. This seems to be the GOP SOP. Democracy is dead if this succeeds (it has already been put up for sale to the highest bidder), starting with the GOP efforts to bring back Jim Crow laws.

. The American people are not concerned about theeconomy anymore because it is global. Everyone is affected, including the US. We cannot solve the deficits strictly on budget cuts without new taxes, especially if that will benefit only the top 2%. It is amazing that the Obama haters are running out of gas, claiming he is not an American, demanding to see his birth certificate and when they got it, they want him to show his grades in college using the carnival barker Donald Trump to do their dirty job. BHO and Biden gave us 12 years of their income tax returns, while WMR showed us one year, claiming he is not a corporation. I thought corporations have been ruled by the Supreme Court as people. Which is which?

. Republicans want a small government but they don’t mind dictating to women on what to do with their wombs or attacking impending cutbacks of government-created or -related jobs in the military. They don’t mind big government as long as they are the beneficiaries of this largess. Hypocrites!

. Ending the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% is a good first step towards tax fairness. The GOP believes giving money in tax breaks to the top 2% will create jobs. The middle class is the engine of the economy and when working people have money, they spend it spend it creating businesses and jobs. The richest 1% received 30% of the Bush cuts. Ten years later we never got the jobs that were promised. These liars and crooks are loud in their complaints when there is mention of doing away with the Bush tax cut which they equate to taxing the job creators. Bunk!

. The State Senate in MI voted on 2 bills that would change the procedure for voter registration, absenteeballots and required identification. SB 754 is a requirement that that anyone holding a voter registration would have to register with the MI secretary of state and complete a turning. It would also require that registration form be turned in further in advance. The League of Women Voters is fighting it. SB 751 would require photo identification for in-person and absentee voting.

. Municipal checks would need to verify that voters and absentee voter lists are legal, registered and those who previously claimed disabilities still have them. The annual verification could discourage the elderly and disabled voters, potentially impacting their turnout. (The Macomb Daily)

. OH Secretary of State Jon Husted suspended two Democrats (Dennis Lieberman & Tom Ritchie) on the Montgomery County Board of Elections for refusing to back down on a proposal to allow weekend early voting. The Republicans are trying to shut out Democratic voters because they can’t win on issues.

. An OH election official and adviser to Gov. John Kasich (Doug Priesse) who had voted against weekend voting that did not allow African-Americans to vote in 2008 suggested that extending voting hours is an unnecessary “contortion” of the voting process designed to benefit blacks. (Bossip Staff)

. It is classic George Orwell by way of Karl Rove. Up is down, black is white. Republicans will save Medicare while Democrats, who invented it and who have fought to sustain it at all costs want to suddenly destroy it. (Bob Cesca, Bob & Chez Show, Media Producers) Rove is suspected of being behind the swift-boating of BHO by minimizing his role in the killing of Osama bin Laden, which they failed to accomplish under GWB. They’re big talkers but short on accomplishment.

. Commonwealth of PA Justice Robert Simpson (a Republican) refused to grant an injunction that would have halted the law which requires each vote to show a valid photo ID. The GOP won the first round of their shenanigans. They have just eliminated the poor, elderly and minorities (who do not drive, ergo no photo ID), thereby depriving them of their voting rights. The state Supreme Court is currently split to 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats, with the suspension of Justice Joan Melvin, a Republican fighting criminal corruption charges. (Marc Levy, AP)

. The Silversun Pickups told Romney’s campaign to stop using their song, “Panic Switch.” The band issued a cease-and-desist order 8/15, denouncing Romney and his campaign. This is unusual for a former governor and his campaign. Now we know why he did not run for reelection. This is unusual for the former governor of MA, a graduate of Harvard Law and a candidate for the US presidency, not to be familiar with US laws. He thought he was going to embarrass the Obama campaign with this song, when he is inadvertently (?) playing a song that describes his whole campaign. How stupidly and utterly disconnected! (Kia Makarechi, HP)\

. He made the same brouhaha last February when he used K’Naan’s song, “Waving’ Flag” without permission. Like the Silversun Pickups, K’Naan said he did not support the Romney campaign and would not have allowed the use of the song even if he was asked.

. Loudmouth Michele Bachman was slammed by Tom Petty with a cease-and-desist order after she used“American Girl” when announcing her presidential run which crashed after take-off. David Byrne sued former FL GOP Gov. Charlie Crist for using “Road to Nowhere” in an attack ad he used in his race against

Marco Rubio. Twisted Sister front-man Dee Sneider has asked Ryan not to play his hit song, “We’re not Gonna Take it,” and added that he doesn’t support Ryan.

.Nancy & Ann Wilson of the band Heart strongly protested the McCain campaign’s use of their song, “Barracuda” to introduce Sarah Palin at the 2008 Republican National Convention. Canadian rock trio, Rush, told then-KY GOP senate candidate Rand Paul in 2010 that his campaign did not have permission to use their song, “Tom Sawyer” in a promotional video, and another song, “Spirit of the Radio” at his rallies.

. The Foo Fighters accused John McCain in 2008 of perverting the original sentiment of the lyrics to their song, ”My Hero” for promotional use. Classic rocker Jackson Bruno sued McCain, the RNC and the OH Republican Party in 2008 for using his song, “Running on Empty” in a video Web without permission.

. Former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made a habit of pulling out his 4-string and playing Boston’s “More than a Feeling” on the campaign which did not please Tom Schultz.

. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-VA got some heat from Aerosmith in 2009 when his office used the band’s “Back in the Saddle” for a Web video touting the supposed resurgent power of the House GOP.

. Van Halen expressed displeasure with John McCain’s use of their song, “Right Now” during a campaign event in 2008, claiming that “permission was not sought or granted, nor would it have been given.”

. Required drug tests for people seeking welfare benefits ended up costing taxpayers more than it saved and failed to curb the number of prospective applicants, data used against the state (FL) in an ongoing legal battle

show. (Brittany Davis, Tampa Bay Times)

. In 2008 the Washington Post described Sarah Plain as attractive, earnest, confident candidate who was clearly out of her league. In a sample of 20k emails like you’ve never seen before include, “you’re not one of us, you’re one of them, the liberal lovers, the flag burners, country haters, the ones who want to kill God and put Stalin in his place and see this nation destroyed by a sea of brown people and gangs.” Wow, what hatred!

. In Sept. 2011, a McClatchy-Marist poll found that 72% to 24% Republicans and Republican-leaning independents do not want Palin to run for president in 2012. Even among Tea Party supporters, a group that likes her, 68% do not want her to run. (John Arbor, The Daily Beast)

. The war on women goes virally stupid. The right-wingers’ war on women ends up with them eating crow. The women are pissed off that these pretentious know-it-all experts think the women are dumb enough to buy their talking points. (Co-authors Barbara and Shannon Kelley)

. Stephen Mark is back, with a new Super Pac (fightbigotry.com, a very misleading title). It aims to smear BHO for “tacitly defending black racism against white folks before and since being elected president. His middle initial might as well be “L” (liar). He should feel at home in the Romney campaign.

. Stephen Mark is a notorious GOP opposition research, author of the book, Confessions of a Political Hitman. In 2000 he launched an attack ad under the misleading title, “America against Hate” trying to tie Al Gore to Rev. Al Sharpton. Another Mark’s spot in 2006 tried to link John Kerry to convicted murdered Willie Horton. He was forced to retract a claim in the book about former Rep. John Shadegg, R-AZ that he slept with NE Rep. Jon Christensen’s wife, asserting that the “information was not accurate.” (Josh Israel, TP)

. Nearly 64% of the 850 small businesses surveyed last year by NFIB reported unpaid invoices for at least 60 days and 20% said delinquencies are getting worse. An earlier survey of 5k small businesses shows 14% cited late payments as the biggest challenge in 2010, up from 2% in 2008. (Nate Hindman, HP)

. T. Boone Pickens criticized Mitt Romney’s energy plan which amounts to ”Drill, baby, drill.” His vision of energy follows that of his oil donors and chief energy adviser, shale oil baron, Harold Hamm, while neglecting other sources of energy. It’s all about oil, which is doing well for itself. In 2011, 5 oil companies netted $137 billion profit. This year, domestic oil production is at its highest level in 8 years. He calls the Koch brothers the greatest deterrent to an energy plan in America. (Rebecca Leber, Think Progress)

. Twice asmany business executivesabroad say the global economy will prosper if incumbent BHO wins in November over his GOP challenger Romney, the FT poll said 8/17; 42.7% of the 1700 respondents favored BHO vs. 20.5% for Romney. The rest said neither. The result was different on US voters at home from a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 8/13.

Monsanto made millions while providing everyone else with questionable benefits and enormous risks. Once a genetically engineered crop is introduced, those genes are in our food supply for good. It is to everyone’s interest to thoroughly examine any new crop before allowing it on the market.

. Four staffers of former presidential candidate Thaddeus McCotter, R-MI were charged in connection to the election fraud, e.g., Don Yowchuang, Paul Seawall, Melissa Turnbull and Loraine Brady for falsely signingnominating petition; 90% of voter signatures were found to be invalid.

III. Federal Government

. Will you believe a man who lies habitually and presents us with a poker face? He was ineligible to run for

governor of MA in 2002 because he was not a resident of the state resident (7 years required to qualify). He asked the people to trust him that he was eligible but he lied as was shown by his income tax return. He is telling us now to trust him again and take his word that he paid taxes in the past averaging 13% a year. Never trust a liar, regardless of what his wife Ann Romney said that Mitt is a decent man and will save America. Forget about America; save yourself first.

. Mitt Romney insisted 8/16 that he had paid a 13% rate every year for the past 10 years, rebuking allegations by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he paid effectively nothing in income taxes during that time period. I’ll bet money on the latter that it was fair and balanced because a habitual liar cannot be trusted. It is easier to claim to have paid taxes (talk is cheap). Make a liar out of Sen. Reid by releasing your taxes, which he can’t do because Reid is right. If you don’t like the truth, shoot the messenger. (Susan Stein, HP)

. Will you trust a person who would use his wife’s horse to deduct $77k as expense for her therapy? All he has to do is release page 2 of the 1040 to prove he paid these taxes. It’s simple and easy. Of course Americans would prefer to see the whole return of the past 10 years. Why won’t he? Did he make his money by taking businessmen at their words? He is dumber than I thought and a clumsy liar.

. WMR spent days demonizing BHO for saying, “let me tell you something… if you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” Now we know that his campaign took the quote out of context by splicing together two separable parts of BHO’s speech to make it look like Pres. Obama was making a direct attack on entrepreneurs. How low will this Mormon bishop go to deceive the American people? Where is his sense of decency and forthrightness?

. It’s like listening to this liar with a straight face, “we need more tax cuts for job creators so they can create more jobs. My name is Mitt Romney and I invest my money offshore.” That’s one way to prove it. What we know is that he spent 18 years as head of Bain Capital, buying and selling companies, shipping jobs and resources overseas, and moving business profits to foreign banks to reduce its tax rate. Maybe he’ll show us his tax returns at the anniversary of his election once he has retroactively eliminated the capital gains tax, showing us that he paid the nothing he owed.

. The reason Americans want to see Mitt Romney’s tax returns is not to see what he had paid, but to see for sure if he lied when he said he made nothing from Bain, while they were killing thousands of jobs. The liar is at it again! That’s an important issue. We’re tired of listening to this liar!

. Mitt Romney has not released even one year of his tax returns vis-à-vis Obama’s and Biden’s 12-year tax returns. Romney released his 2010 return, with some elements missing, and an estimate for 2011. His campaign said that a full 2011 return will be made public mid-October. We’ll see!

. In their joint appearance (Romney & Ryan) before Bob Schiefer 8/12 who brought up the fairness issue, the CBS host never mentioned that under the Ryan proposed budget, Romney would have paid an effective tax rate of 0.82% in 2010, according to the Atlantic. Under this plan, Romney wouldn’t pay any taxes in thenext 10 years. How could someone who earns more than $20 million a year pay so little in taxes? The vast majority of his income comes from capital gains, interests and dividends. Ryan’s budget calls for the elimination of taxes on capital gains, interests and dividends.

. How can we fund government when the super-rich pay no taxes? Ryan would actually raise some taxes on the bottom 30% of earners, according to non-partisan Tax Policy Center but that hardly fills the revenue hole he would create. Solution? Eliminate all government outside of Social Security and Defense. (Matthew O’Brien, The Atlantic)

. Ann Romney is just as bad in lying as her husband. When she signed her name on the tax returns she knew what was in them. To say otherwise is a lie. Lying runs in the family. At one point in the NBC interview she came across as very angry for being asked about money stashed in foreign banks and foreign countries. If they are not hiding anything, how do you explain the foreign deposits? We just cannot take her word that we must trust Mitt, “because Mitt is honest, his integrity is just golden.” But the opposite is true. Her husband is the “complete opposite of honest and he has no integrity.” (TeamSarah4Choice, Daily Kos)

. Her husband got caught in his 1999-2002 tax returns in the MA gubernatorial campaign. The Los Angeles Times reviewed his 2010 IRS tax returns and discovered that he failed t disclose 34 accounts in many foreign countries on his financial disclosure form while he spews lies about BHO knowing they’re false.

. Mitt Romney said 8/15 that his Medicare Plan was “close to identical” to that of Paul Ryan, marking a full public embrace of the proposal from which his campaign initially sought to distance himself. Top surrogate John Sununu disputed that, calling them “very different.” Are they identical or different?

. Romney’s selection of Ryan as his running mate has nationalized Ryan’s radical right-wing budget. His plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program is the headline news across the country and is putting in jeopardy House Republicans—regular and Tea Party, in their reelection efforts. What is the solution? Spread more lies (and repeat them frequently) that Republicans are trying to save Medicare.

. He criticizes BHO on Afghanistan for announcing a “timetable” for the withdrawal of US forces and accuses the administration of placing politics over the advice of military commanders for withdrawing 30k by September. But when it comes to what he would do if he is president, the details becomesketchy. GOP voters are split on Afghanistan, with 48% supporting withdrawal of all troops as soon as possible and nearly 45% support being a follow-on force there until the country is stabilized. The electorate as a whole favors bringing the troops home (60%) over keeping the troops there longer (32%). (Josh Rogin, The Cable)

. Be on the lookout for Fox News swift-boating (=lying) against Pres. Obama. It is supposed to be a “group of former US intelligence and Special Forces operatives” but in reality is a partisan assembly of Republicans and professional Obama haters. Fox News has stooped so low (no surprise there) to spread lies about a key achievement of BHO’s leadership as commander-in-chief. Talk is cheap; action speaks louder than words. It is disturbing to see Fox News (fair and balanced?) participate in this lie proving the critics right that it is nothing more than a propaganda mouthpiece of the GOP and right-wing crazies and haters.

. Republicans are using Nazi and Russiantactics by using propaganda (lies) and repeat it over and over again, hoping that the ignorant, gullible and hateful will believe it. Now the American people know that they are crooks who want to kill democracy in this country, do away with Social Security and Medicare, cut taxes for the rich and burden the middle class with taxes to pay for their tax cut. The Democrats must not lower their defenses and must continue their attacks on the GOP by bringing out the truth about them.

. BHO’s cuts extended the life of Medicare’s giant trust fund. By repealing them, Mitt Romney would move the program’s insolvency 8 years closer toward the end of what would be his first term in office. Instead of running out of money in 2024, Medicare’s trust fund for in-patient care would go broke in 2016 without the cuts and forcing deeper cuts and sooner, according to the estimates of the program’s own experts. (Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar, HP)

. BHO’s cut of $716 billion from Social Security to pass on to beneficiaries of Medicare, hold off on rising drug prices and provide preventive services without additional cost, while the GOP cut went to insurance companies. That is the difference. The GOP serves the top 2% while the BHO administration is working for the 98%.

. BHO was vetted as well as any candidate. Looking at past archives of papers like NYT, WP, LAT, ChicagoTribune et al. There were numerous stories about BHO’s past, some positive, some negative. Because they did not blast BHO 24/7 with negative stories and dared to publish some good ones, the Right screamed media bias, all the time backing ridiculous birther claims. When this case was closed by the release of his birth certificate by the state of Hawaii where he was born, the same crazy crowd started to clamor for the release of his school transcripts. Duh!

. Haven’t the conservative media vetted BHO? If there is so much more damning information, why doesn’t the conservative press, like Fox News and others substantiate it? If 8.3% are unemployed, 91.7% are doing well or better. Besides, a single president does not make or break the economy. It is more complex than that. Anyone who thinks a single president can change things to a degree, like the GOP base, is unrealistic. Throwing such phrase that BHO has acted like a communist has just lost the argument.

. Civil rights groups, voting rights advocates, the clergy and the state NAACP are among those protesting the restrictions of early voting hours in the battleground state of OH, which allowed voters to cast their ballots during evenings and weekends. This would disproportionately impact African-American voters who are more numerous in urban counties affected, another example of voter suppression. (Stephanie Slick, The Grio)

. After 14 years in Congress, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI consists of: 1. He authored a budget proposal that would end Medicare (56% are women) as we know it; 2. His budget plan would have cut SNRP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); 3. He is bad for women. He voted for a bill that would have effectively banned abortion coverage by insurers who received federal funding; 4. He is anti-choice. He voted for Protect Life Act which denies women abortion care without exemption from emergency situations; 5. He wants to de-fund Planned Parenthood, resulting in more women losing access to necessary and basic healthcare. One infive women has used Planned Parenthood services. Paul Ryan has a long history of voting against affordable healthcare, now in medical and financial danger. (Allison McQuade, Emily’s List)

. Rep. Paul Ryansold stocks on the same day as the private briefing of the banking crisis. He denied

profiting from the information. Ryan sold stocks in troubled banks, including Wachovia and Citigroup, and bought shares in Goldman Sachs, Hank Paulson’s old employer and a bank that had been disclosed as the stronger than many of is rivals. (Hamid Rushe, Guardian UK)

. It would be interesting to see Ryan’s financial disclosure records. He’s been in politics all his life. He never had another job. He is now worth $7 million. He lives in a mansion that once belonged to the owner of Parker pen which is out of business. Meanwhile, corrupt politicians like him are thriving, looting the public wealth for themselves and their billionaire masters.

. Last year, when Congress and the White House were on the verge of coming to a compromise regarding the budget, it was Paul Ryan who came down on Speaker Boehner to back out of it because if the deal wentthrough, the GOP loses in Nov. Then they can blame BHO for a weak economy. Don’t be deceived by the face of evil (white, male, anti-woman GOP hypocrite) who lies like Romney from both sides of his mouth.

. Paul Ryan is a virulent denier of climate science to prevent the EPA from limiting greenhouse pollution, to eliminate the White House climate advisers, to block USDA from preparing for climate disasters, like the drought devastating his home state and to eliminate DOEAdvance Research Projects Agency. He is opposed to federal spending on energy research and development and the straight elimination of subsidies and tax breaks for wind, solar power and other alternative energy technologies. (Al Gore, RSN)

. Paul Ryan’s record is so extreme that it would have turned Romney’s sons into criminals. The bill that Ryan co-sponsored with Todd Akin would have promoted the notion that life begins at fertilization in federal law, criminalizing in vitro fertilization (IVF), the process of creating an embryo outside the woman’s womb. They are two peas in a pod. What Akin espouses is no different from what Ryan espouses, even as he is trying to distance himself now from Akin. Doctors typically create multiple embryos and only implant the healthiest ones in the women. Some of them stick and become babies, and some don’t. The ones that don’t make it to the womb are either frozen for later use or destroyed. If the Sanctity of the Human Life Act is passed, it would make embryos “people” in the legal sense. If they aren’t used or don’t become babies after being implanted, they would essentially become “murder victims” under the law. (Stephanie, Mercimer, Mother Jones)

. Romney’s 3 sons have used IVF, which Ryan has advocated criminalizing a procedure that brought ample joy to about 3 million families over the past 3 decades. The supposedly pro-life GOP candidates want to turn infertile couples into criminals for hoping to have a baby. Currently, most health insurance plans don’t cover infertility treatment, so IVF and other advanced baby-making technology is mostly available to rich people like the Romney boys.

. Ryan and Todd Akin defended their belief that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape. Akin claims that women who are victims of “legitimate rape” are unlikely to become pregnant. The female body has “biological defenses” that prevent rape victims from getting pregnant. Stupidity, e.g., evolution, creationism, climate change, birtherism, is extolled by the GOP. The implication is horrible because if the rape victim becomes pregnant, then she must have actually wanted it, and it’s not rape anymore. Ryan and Akin banned federal funding to all cases of rape. Drugged, raped and pregnant? Too bad, says the House. (Nick Baumann, Mother Jones)

. Is there any problem as to where Paul Ryan stands on women issues? Regardless of what he says, just look at his record in Congress: 1) He voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He doesn’t believe women deserve the same pay with men for the same work. 2) He opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest. He has voted 59x against a woman’s right to choose. 3) He wants Planned Parenthood abolished. He has repeatedly voted to de-fund it and do away with poor women’s access to comprehensive healthcare and preventive services. 4) He would criminalize some forms of birth control. He and Todd Akin of MO co-sponsored a federal “personhood” bill, the Sanctity of Human Life Act of 2009 (H.R. 212) which declares that a fertilized egg is entitled to the same legal rights as a human being, overriding Roe vs. Wade, thereby breaking the lawwhich was soundly defeated in the polls in MS and OK two years ago. 5) He would outlaw in vitro fertilization. Too bad for couples who can’t have kids naturally! His dedication to “personhood” and forced “vaginal ultrasound” only exacerbate matters for him. (RSS)

. Paul Ryan gave credit to Ayn Rand for his involvement in politics. Who was Ayn Rand: 1) She is the face of greed, extolling selfishness and caring for others as weakness. 2) Her philosophy is a frightful concoction of hyper-egotism, power-worship and anarcho-capitalism. She opposed all forms of welfare, unemployment insurance, support for the poor and middle-class, regulation of industry and government provision of infrastructure development. 3) She railed against government benefits but grabbed Medicare and Social

Security benefits when she needed them under the name Ann O’Connor (her husband was Frank O’Connor).

4) She worked on a movie script glorifying the atomic bomb, calling it an eloquent example of free enterprise.

5) Billionaires and corporations use her writings to brainwash college students. Her book, Atlas Shrugged is required reading at colleges that receive Koch brothers’ money. 6) She is the libertarians’ favorite philosopher. Expect Objectivism, her quasi-religious philosophy, to permeate the political process more than ever before. 7) Rand in real life was so obnoxious that her audience gets a life lesson of what not to become. She was rude, vain and self-infatuated to the point of being obtuse. 8) Red-State “Parasites;” Blue-State “Providers;” if you’re not a psychopath billionaire, in her book you’re a parasite.

9) She was a big admirer of a serial killer, William Edward Hickman who killed a 12-year old girl Marion

Parker in 1927 shocked the nation. She was smitten by Hickman that she modeled her first literary creation on him. 10) We’ve already had a Randian (Alan Greenspan) in high office and it was devastating to the middle-class. He co-edited with her a book called Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. He brought that philosophy into government—there is noneed for regulation of business. (Jan Frel, AlterNet) Rand would have despised him.

. Sen. John McCain compared Romney’s experience to Ronald Reagan’s and criticized the president’s (he has not yet recovered from the loss in 2008) international agenda. Still he had trouble coming up with foreign policy accomplishments for Ryan, simply noting that his budget policies would prevent deep cuts to the Pentagon under budget sequestration.

. Political contribution on Wall Street is an example of ideological giving. The legislation to rein the big banks does not sit well on the “too big to fail” financial institutions. But it’s time to rein them in or they will destroy this country. Thirteen of these companies backed BHO in 2008 but are backing Republicans this fall. Let’s see which is stronger—money or votes? Remember Michael Huffington who ran for governor of CA and spent $22 million of his money but lost anyway? The switchers include: AT&T, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Goldman Sachs, GE, BofA, Citigroup, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley. Let’s remember them for their loyalties to their pocketbooks first above all else.

. And let’s also remember the companies who have shown their true colors and love for this country by supporting common sense legislation, e.g., Microsoft, Comcast, Pfizer ad Time Warner. Other anti-Obama banks and corporations are: Verizon, UBS, AG, Northrup Grumman, Citigroup, Boeing, and Deloitte.

. Voter fraud, with its connotation of stolen election, sounds scary. For all the bluster about the fraud, proponents of voter suppression tactics have failed to provide evidence of any significant voter fraud. This claim of voter fraud is an excuse to make it more difficult to register to vote, to cast your vote and have your vote counted.The fraud is on those who are trying to deny others their voting rights.

. In FL the voting restrictions disproportionately impact minority groups, recently naturalized citizens, students and people who need time off from their jobs to vote. FL’s county supervisors of elections are refusing to implement Gov. Rick Scott’s latest voter suppression tactic, purging citizens from their voting rolls faced inaccurate motor vehicle information. This time around, the ACLU of FL, the Brennan Center, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law, et al turn to the court to stop the assault on democracy.

. The Obama administration plunged deeper into the politically and racially charged fight over a new wave of new voting restrictions, enacted largely by Republicans in the name of combating voter-fraud.

. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT told a senate panel that a constitutional amendment is needed to undo the Supreme Court ruling that let corporations and wealthy individuals spend unlimited resources to sway American elections. He revealed at least 23 billionaire families have contributed a minimum of $250k (this is a very conservative estimate) so far in this year’s campaigns.

. There were 128 House Republicans who took credit for the economic bills they opposed, including Michele Bachmann (MN), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Peter King (NY), Jason Chaffetz (UT), Eric Cantor (VA), Steve King (IA), John Mica (FL). They are the biggest hypocrites that got Congress to receive the lowest rating from the American people a 9%.

. I. a) Restrictions on voter registration–FL and TX; b) Non-compliance with the National Voter Registration

Act (NVRA)—LA, GA &TX;

2. Limitations on where and when individuals can register—FL, ME, OH, WI restricting time and/or place

III. Blocks vote on Election Day—A wave of restrictive government-issued photo requirements which have passed to date in AL, TX, MS, SC, KS, RI, TN & WI; 11% of the US population = 22.9 million people do not have government-issued photo ID;25% (over 6 million people); 11% (nearly 3 million people) do not have valid government-issued photo ID.

. Freshman GOP Joe Walsh, R-IL is 9 points behind his opponent, Tammy Duckworth, according to a poll released 8/16 by anti-Tea Party Super Pac CREDO. The Cook Political report rates the seat as likely to turn Democratic. Walsh criticized her for frequently mentioning her military service (Anil Edwards Levy, HP)

. The hypocrisy of GOP incumbents (talking from both sides of their mouths) is mind-boggling. On the one hand they approved of the stimulus money. On the other, they crawled on their knees to beg for their share of the stimulus money in their districts, e.g., Jean Schmidt of OH. Among Tea Partiers, Newsweek uncovered begging for federal stimulus money to create jobs in their districts was House Majority Leader Eric Cantor ofVA who requested tens of millions of dollars. He asked DOT for $75 million for his district. White speaking the language of the Tea Part publicly, he was doing the exact opposite privately. The GOP zeal to cut is a classic example of hypocrisy supreme. Paul Ryan of WI demonized stimulus funds a wasteful spending spree that misses the mark on all counts. In his letter to the Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, he said he intends to use the stimulus money to place 1,000 workers in green jobs.

. Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-VA tried and failed to defang a law demanded by fellow Republicans in the General Assembly under which voters who don’t show a valid ID won’t count until these voters can show who they claim to be. In signing the controversial bill he issued an executive order designed to soften the new impact, directing the issuance of fresh IDs to all 5 million voters at a cost of $1.36 million. (Jeff Schapiro, Richmond Times-Dispatch)

IV. International

. Tension in the South China Sea is ratcheting up. China and SE Asian nations with competing territorial claims seem set on a collision course. Though still low, the possibility of conflict is rising inexorably.

. China’s domestic problems may induce Beijing to engage in confrontational military skirmish with India to divert internal pressures. Japan did it in the past which started WW II in the region.

. A majority of Taiwanese have multiple self-identities which have been consistent since 2008, but an increasing number of young people identify themselves with China.

. Japan is involved in controversy with China over the Senkaku Islands that the Chinese call Daioyus. It was precipitated by Tokyo governor’s proposal to buy 3 uninhabited islands that are private property.

. Pres. Lee Myung-bak of South Korea visited the disputed islands in the middle of the Sea of Japan (which Koreans call East Sea), known to Koreans as Dokdo Islands and Takeshima to the Japanese.

. Members of Korean NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea are going to North Korea to discuss aid for victims of the recent floods.

. Several activists with OccupyHong Kong held a concert at their encampment at the base of Asia headquarters of HSBC, drawing a couple dozen youths who danced vigorously as the 9pm deadline passed.

. The Philippines will be part of a major expansion of the American missile defense to ward off threats from North Korea and could also be used to counter China’s military build-up in the region.

. In the final days before an election that is supposed to build the return of “democracy” to Thailand, protesters gate-crashed the national assembly in Bangkok.

. Officials at the IndonesianStock Exchange were contesting a “disaster money” system and were working late into the night to decide whether trading will resume, sources told Reuters.

. The MalaysianNational Space Agency is planning an exhibition to celebrate Neil Armstrong’s life and legacy. The agency hopes to hold the exhibition by year’s end.

. There is a proposal to legalize prostitution in Vietnam to help protect both sex workers and their clients, and bring revenues to the government in the form of tax, said Le Quang Binh to Vietweek.

. Laos has released 4 Christians, including 2 Thai citizens who were detained in June after being caught explaining the Bible to a Lao man, rights activists confirmed.

. “Chinese military base in the IndianOcean?” ran the headline in the Times of India. It concluded the base could be of vital importance to China as it prepares to launch its first aircraft carrier.

. Kerala-based AVT National Products Ltd. said it has been named by Forbes in its list of 200 best companies from the Asia-Pacific region with under $1 billion in revenue.

. The AG of Pakistan Irafu Qardir said the prime minister could not be summoned to court according to the constitution. He hopes the matter will be resolved with consultation and understanding.

. President Mahindra Rajakpasa affirmed that he is president not only of the Sinhalese but of all communities in Sri Lanka.

. A top Ministry of Interior official told Gulf News that there is no Bangladeshi visa ban in place. Visas are regularly issued to all nationalities subject to demand for workforce in the market.

. Though the government in Nepal was said to be working on more than 3 dozen ordinances, the cabinet decided to send only 4, 3 of them non-political in nature, to the president for approval.

. Four KFC and Pizza Hut chains in Nepal have suspended their operation. The employees reportedly attacked and threatened to kill store managers.

V. Miscellaneous

. Vote wisely Nov 6, 2012 – While walking down the street one day a corrupt Senator (that may be redundant) was tragically hit by a car and died. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. “Welcome to heaven,” says St. Peter. “Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not sure what to do with you.” “No problem, just let me in,” says the Senator. “Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we’ll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.” “Really? I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,” says the Senator. “I’m sorry, but we have our rules.” And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. (1st of a 4-part series)

. 2016: Obama’s America (book) is a product of a fringe right-wing (Dinesh D’Souza) alumnus in the Reagan administration and financed by a handful of wealthy conservatives, including the founder of TD Ameritech (Joe Ricketts) who has already been criticized for his support of aggressive Super PAC attacks on the President. It’s a typical anti-Obama ad commercial created by a GOP Super PAC. The movie is full of typical, extreme right-wing conspiracies to evoke mistrust and fear. It is a long-format propaganda.

. “If Harry Reid is correct, Mitt Romney has his own 9-9-9 Tax Plan. Federal Income Taxes—Nein! State Income Taxes—Nein! Local Income Taxes—Nein! (Kendall Martin, Politicsusa)

. “What we see in this budget [of BHO] is an attempt to stimulate the economy through government expenditure… It can’t create jobs, it can’t create wealth. We’ve got to get back to focusing on job creation and creating prosperity.” (Eric Cantor of VA) But he wants the government to save the jobs for defense contractors. Hypocrite!

. “We have been very transparent of what is legally required of us. There’s no more tax release given. [If they release any more information] it will only give them more ammunition.” (Ann Romney, whose sense of

entitlement is so strong that she claims 2012 is Mitt’s time and turn to be president; get lost!)

. “My guess is that the number [at least 23 billionaire families] is really much greater because many of their

contributions are made in secret. Not content to own our economy, the 1% wants to own our government as well.” (Sen. Bernie Sander, I-VT before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights)

. “Voting is a fundamental right—and when we make our voices heard, we can keep moving our nation forward, building a fairer, stronger and most just America.” (BHO)

. “In OHand all across the nation, there is a concerted effort to take away your vote, by tricks like photo ID and reducing the numbers of early voting hours.” (Rev. Charles Holmes, retired pastor from the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dayton, OH)

. “The Romney-Ryan ticket is extremely weak when it comes to foreign policy. These groups do not have a serious view or background in what’s going on in the rest of the world. This is extremely important in a president or vice-president.” (Former WI Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold)

. “I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban—read African-American—voter turnout machine. Let’s be fair and reasonable.” (Doug Priesse, chairman of Franklin County Republican Party in OH)

. Bizarre World Wonders–Wave Rock, Australia is one of the most beautiful rock formations in the world. It is 49 ft. high and 328 ft. long. The unique site looks like a tidal wave, although it’s made completely of stone.

Door to Hell, Turkemistan has been blazing for over 35 years. It is a burning gas crater which got its name “door to hell.”

Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand areabnormally large boulders, 60 million years old and sit along the coastline of New Zealand. They are found from sea floor sediments, a process similar to the one from pearl formation. What’s interesting is the shape of these rocks is so perfect they appear man-made.

. What Confucius Didn’t Say:. Lady who goes camping must beware of evil intent.. Squirrel who runs up woman’s leg will not find nuts.. Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.. Man who runs in front of car gets tired, man who runs behind car gets exhausted.

. My better or bitter half–A man goes to the Wizard to ask if he can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 40 years. The Wizard says, “Maybe, but you will have to tell me the exact words that were used to put the curse on you. The man says without hesitation, “I now pronounce you Man and wife.”. Husband searching Keywords on Google How to Tackle Wife! Google search result: “Still Searching”.

. A Man goes to a Shrink and says, “Doctor, my wife is unfaithful to me. Every evening, she goes to Larry’s Bar and picks up men. In fact, she sleeps with anybody who asks her! I’m going crazy. What do you think I should do?” “Relax,” says the doctor, “take a deep breath and calm down. Now, tell me, exactly where is Larry’s Bar?”

*Senior Joke–One evening, two old men from a retirement home were sitting on the front porch of the retirement home. One man said to the other old man, “You know, Albert, if you think about it, we are not that old. I mean, my memory is still very good.” As the man said this, he knocked on the wooden chair beside him. “Actually, as sharp as ever!” After a couple minutes of silence, the first man started to talk again, “So, is anyone going to get the door, or do I have to do it?”